This invention relates to gaming systems, and more particularly relates to awards for the players of such systems.
Gaming machines offer various awards for play, including a cash award, a point award convertible to cash, a complementary award convertible to goods or services (e.g., food or lodging), but not to cash, and an award of a bonus game. U.S. Pat. No. 5,761,647 (Boushy, issued Jun. 2, 1998) describes the award of points and complementaries. U.S. Pat. No. 6,375,567 describes an award of a bonus or secondary game.
However, none of the foregoing patents enables a player to select the type of award desired by the player. This deficiency may decrease the level of interest in play due to the player's inability to pursue a desired form of award. This invention addresses the problems presented by the foregoing patents and provides a solution.